Luang Prabang was previously the royal capital of Laos and has an abundance of Buddhist temples, shrines and hundreds of monks in striking orange enhancing the views. The town itself is built on a peninsula where the Nam Khan river meets the Mekong and is surrounded by misty hills. During the dry season (Dec-Feb), it is a really a temperate climate with cool mornings, perfect temperature of around 25 degrees late morning, then early 30's through until evening. It is not humid this time of year either which makes it a great time to visit. In the dry season you can cross the temporary rickety bamboo bridges across the Nam Khan . A9 and G6 loved this adventure and played in the shallows finding tadpoles. French colonial guest houses are dotted along the quiet lanes and authentic markets sell locally grown and caught wares, many of which we had never seen before. You can buy live chickens, fish, birds in cages to free, white eggs, pink eggs, blue eggs, brown eggs, dried goods, grains along with all sorts of vegetables and fruit. Morning Alms Giving Ritual On our first morning we got up in the cold at 5.30am to watch the daily Buddhist alms giving ceremony, where locals line the streets with bowls of hot rice and give a handful to each monk as they walk silently in a circuit around the town. Unfortunately, over the last few years, this has turned into a tourist circus where you can buy alms to take part in the ceremony. We managed to find a quiet spot with no other tourists to be voyeurs of this amazing ceremony. Afterwards, we sat at a local river front café and were served rice porridge and coffee (with condensed milk) while we watched the sunrise over the mighty Mekong river. Kuang Si Waterfalls is a natural wonder just 45 minutes by tuktuk from Luang Prabang. pools of turquoise waters flow from one to another. We swam until G6 saw a (small) spider and you would have thought his hand had been cut off. There was no getting him back in after that. The path takes you through the sun bears wildlife sanctuary which is included in the 20,000 Kip entrance fee (NZ $3.40 for adults, kids free). Just along the road is the Butterfly Park, which the kids loved, especially the natural fish spa! Day trip up the Mekong. A great way to feel at one with this mighty river. sitting low to the water travelling the slow boats, watching locals fishermen, women washing and boats travelling this main highway of Laos. It's hard to imagine the huge torrents which must come down during the wet season. It takes around an hour to reach the Pak Ou cave shrines filled with gold statues built into the cliff face. Luang Prabang is simply magical. We have been overwhelmed by the delicious food, friendly people and natural beauty during our 6 days exploring this quaint Indochine town. |
finding freedom with four backpacks
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